Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by WilliamPhilaPa:

Presentation Same bottle as pictured. No freshness date. Heresy pours a dark black with a small slow rising tan head.
A big whiff of dark roasted malt rises up along w/ some dark chocolate and dark cherries. A somewhat scotch & or wiskey aroma also emerges. Later more chocolate and espresso linger into the front.
There is a nice roasted chocolate malt flavor as well as rich coffee. There is a touch of molasses that is noticeable as well as some dark cherries. There is a little citrus hop flavor that comes through in a quiet manner but quickly fades and then leaves you w/ the prior flavors. Heresy is another good brew by Weyerbacher with a very distinct and enjoyable flavor.

More User Reviews:

12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 2/3/2015. Pours pitch black color with a 1 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, oak, light dark fruit, and roast/oaky earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roasted malt, bourbon barrel, and light dark fruit notes; with great strength. Taste of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, oak, light dark fruit, and roast/oaky earthiness. Light roast/oaky bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, oak, light dark fruit, and roast/oaky bitterness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice complexity and balance of dark/roasted malt, bourbon barrel, and light dark fruit flavors; with a great malt/barrel balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, fairly creamy, and slightly bready/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barrel aged imperial stout. All around great complexity, balance, and robustness of dark/roasted malt, bourbon barrel, and light dark fruit flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. The barrel character is very pronounced, but not overdone. A very enjoyable offering.

I have had hit or miss experiences with Weyerbacher this I would say is a hit,poured a ink black with a dark mocha colored 1/2 finger creamy head.The oak its aged in shows thru in the nose with a vanilla-like tone along with some molasses and iron,a real nice mellow mouthfeel for a bigger brew really slides down easy.Not huge in my mind for the style but very good flavors vanilla tinged with molasses and rum soaked raisins finishing somewhat woody and cola-like.A nice impy stout not overly big to me,its approachable with out any flavor loss or character.

Appearance  This beer is black with a slight purple tint around the edges. It produced a nice, big head on an even pour and left a large, cool-looking pool of foam on top of the liquid that I eventually had to drink away.

Smell  The sweet vanilla notes came out instantly when I poured the beer. Its an oaky kind of aroma and is complimented with some nice, dark, roasted malts and a sharp presence of alcohol.

Taste  The alcohol came out sharply at the taste as well. The big oaky vanilla was here in force along with a light coffee flavor.

Mouthfeel  This Imp Stout is medium to full in the body with a dry, almost powdery finish.

Drinkability  This is a very unique offering from Weyerbacher. It is a very sharp, sipping stout. Youll either love it or hate it.

Comments  Thanks to skyhand for bringing this to our first annual Friday the 13th Fright Night bash. This, the veggies burgers, and THE WORST movie that Ive ever seen (IOW, great fun to watch) made for a terrific evening.

Thanks also to garthwaite for getting this out to Seattle. Garthwaite mailed it, skyhand brought it, RoyalT poured it, and cschwaz drank it. What a team!

Taste/Mouthfeel - Nice and creamy body, about medium for an impy stout. Roasted malt flavor really shines, with just the right about of hops to keep the sweetness in check. Oaky/vanilla flavor dominant throughout. Nice dry finish.

Drinkability - Very drinkable; the 8% ABV is well hidden. An enjoyable brew.

Heresy pours out of the 12 oz. bottle a deep black, impenatrable to light with a huge tan head that stakes its claim atop the brew with might. The smell is a big dose of bourbon right up front along with roasted bitter chocolate notes and hints of damp wood.

The first taste is a intermingling of dark roasted nutty malts, bittersweet chocolate and bourbon. The bourbon is quite prominent and is accompanied by earthy, woody tones. I enjoy the cross pollination of flavors on my palate here.

Mouthfeel is a little thin for me and and possibly a bit too carbonated. I enjoy my impy's with a bit thicker body. Drinkability is good. Quite an enjoyable brew...but it's more of a brew that I'd drink one of every now and again. If you like bourbon or even if you just like impy stouts, I recommend checking this one out. Thanks to blitheringidiot for the bottle!

Pitch black body that poured with a one finger head which was a deep chocolate color. Aroma is a deep rich alcoholic chocolate with strong fruit overtones. Oak and vanilla saturate the nose. Overall sweet and fairly complex. Very inviting.

The taste, or lack there of, really struck me as being off in this beer. I don't really pick up any of the strong characteristics which I found in the nose. Initially there is a tiny bit of sweetness but the midrange doesn't offer anything. Finish is a bit spicy with some oak characteristics. The alcohol burn is a bit harsh. What flavor is there is okay at best. The alcohol brings it down.

Mouthfeel is fairly full, but not what I think it should be for the style. Drinkability is only okay as well. The lack of taste doesn't make me want a second.

Overall this one presented itself strongly but failed to follow through once it hit my lips. Oh well...

Pours an oilslick black. Solid finger of thick mocha head. Settles with ample, thick lacing. Boy is that head just crusting on the edges of the glass. Islands and small bubbles of carbonation still present.

A 22oz bottle served in a tulip glass. Nice looking beer: black, thick mocha head, impressive lacing all the way down. It had a predominately coffee aroma, as well as some sweet fruit and vanilla. Coffee and milk chocolate taste. I thought it was a tad too sweet, which cut down the drinkability a bit.

Weyerbacher's Old Heathen Imperial Stout aged in OAK barrels. I like beers aged in oak. I'm ready. Bring it on.

From a 22oz bomber, a pitch black liquid with a snapping coffee colored foam that rises with the pour, but settles to an absolute flat stillness. I've seen this happen with many of oak aged beers. No head. Wonder if this is a very common occurrence, and something that should be taken into consideration when casting an opinion on appearance? Hmm ... until then I'm not impressed.

Malty aroma, with chocolate, vanilla, sherry, wood and wet paper joining in with the massive complexities.

Even mouthfeel, somewhere between medium- and full-bodied. Sharp-ish notes of sherry and black cherry juice prick the palate, then step aside for mature flavors of chocolate, black-strap molasses and suggestions of espresso and maple. Distinct vanilla bean, rich and flavorful. Alcohol is tamed, but does join in on the prickling of the palate and adds a layer of light spiciness. That last drop of a whiskey on the rocks after the ice cubes have melted for about five minutes is there, too. Ashy feel with deep lingering burnt flavors that sick in a slightly slick feel on the tongue.

Heresy. A suitable name for a method of maturation that is still just being explored by American brewers. Weyerbacher explores it well, and captures all the loud complexities and subtle nuances that oak barrel aging has to offer beer.

Solidly black, the beer's foam cap appears overly fizzy and a bit on the bleached side. It does leave legs like a fine wine might but, in sum, it ain't much different-looking than your average-looking stout.

The smell is faintly Russian Imperial. Oak, of course, is not the most distinguished of smells, but there's even less to this beer in the nose. I'll give it credit for a French oak smell but, thus far, the beer still needs some substance to its character.

The oak offers a unique brown sour sort fo taste to the liquid. It's pungent...almost acrid, but it's not really displeasing. It's a basic RIS aged in oak barrels. It's exactly as advertised...no more, no less. This particular oak would likely influence even the most potent stout, but it's almost overpowering here. I appreciate the approach but am left wondering what this beer'd be like where it served straight from production.

The mouthfeel borders on tart. For an RIS, that's weird. For its character, I credit it. The unique sweet/sour play comes partly from oak and what sense like raisin. The liquid feels like a raisin RIS. Is that possible? It's an odd beer out of Pennsylvania that is just unique enough to be worth trying. Different, simple, and enjoyable combine to produce good drinkability for a comparatively blah beer.